Moray musician Calum Jones releases single and video Brothers in Arms
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Moray musician Calum Jones has released a single from his forthcoming album to support two mental health charities for men.
All the cash raised will go to Andy's Man Club Scotland and to Brothers In Arms.
Indeed, his new single is named after the second charity.
Calum, who lives near Buckie, explained: "The song was originally written as a personal message to a close friend.
"It was inspired by a conversation which uncovered some deep personal emotions he was struggling with – and how he didn’t know who to turn to for help.
"Brothers in Arms is about letting him know that it's okay not to be okay – and that I am here to listen."
Still aged only 19, Calum is already something of a veteran in musical terms.
Already with two albums under his belt, he played more than 120 gigs last year alone, including the Belladrum Festival.
He's also appeared in several videos.
However, making and editing a video himself was a completely new experience.
Calum posted on social media about what he was intending to do, and asking for friends, family members and fellow musicians to send him photos of themselves.
More than 80 responded – including all the members of Skerryvore.
Calum's video cleverly links all their images together.
He said: "It's about being part of the support network that a person surrounds themselves with, and how they can rely on those people to ‘be there’ no matter what, no matter when."
His third album "MirrorGlass", which is due to be released in September, features him playing all the instruments, including bass and drums as well as the guitar.
Recorded professionally near London before the lockdown, he reckons it has a "more driven" and "heavier" sound than some of the tunes he's recorded before.
Calum said: "It's just the sound and feel that I'm into to right now.
"But I could change back again next month. The fact is I like writing and performing a wide variety of music."
Indeed, as well as being a solo artist, Calum also plays gigs with The Trad Project.
The band were due to appear at this year's Belladrum until the summer festival has to be cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Calum is currently continuing to write songs and make demos at home.
As a student at the University of the Highlands and Islands, he's also continuing his studies for a BA in Applied Music.
However, he states he's missing performing live.
He said: "I really miss the buzz you get from playing in front of people.
"So I've taken to social media to get my songs out.
"I perform weekly from my lockdown hideaway on Thursday nights from 7pm onwards.
"You can witness some enthusiastic banter and positive energy to hopefully help keep you entertained during these strange times."
You can watch Calum's weekly show on his Facebook site here.
More news from Moray here
was set to play the festival again this summer with The Trad Project.
https://bit.ly/spotifyBrothersInArms
https://bit.ly/itunesBrothersInArms
I also put together my first home made video which is a montage of photos sent in by all the guys and features some familiar faces in Scottish music.
Link to video:
https://bit.ly/BrothersInArms-YouTube
Undeterred by the cancellation of festivals this summer .
